Georgia adopts the Law on Gender Equality

Discussion about the Law on Gender Equality in the Parliament of Georgia. May 2010. Photo: Daro Sulakauri/UNDP

Facing a disparity in gender-related legislation, in March 2010 Georgia adopted a law on gender equality. Georgia’s official adoption of the legislation is part of a five-year campaign by UNDP to help empower women and create equal opportunties in all areas of political, economic and social life.

Since 2004, the Gender Advisory Council at the Georgian Parliament and the UNDP have worked together to enhance the status of women in Georgia. The efforts are also a part of the Millennium Development Goals—global benchmarks to reduce world poverty and advance human health and development by 2015.

As part of the MDG goal of empowering women, in Georgia the UNDP assisted local partners in a gender-related advocacy campaign. The campaign centred on gender-related issues, and sought to change public perceptions from polite ignorance to informed involvement. Along with policy advice and consultations with the government, the campaign included a series of social events and educational activities including: professional contests for journalists, awards to gender-sensitive businesses, discussions and training for non-governmental organizations and politicians, art exhibitions and film-shows.

The five-year long campaign covered key areas of social, economic and political life in Georgia.

In addition, the UNDP supported in-depth research on gender-related public policy in Georgia, and examined gender trends in healthcare, education and the labour market. The UNDP-supported studies also discussed gender issues among ethnic minorities and the displaced.

More recently, UNDP, in co-operation with other UN agencies in Georgia, made gender equality a top human rights priority after an August 2008 conflict with Russia. After the war, one of the recovery projects was the establishment of a Gender Equality Resource Centre and a gender equality hotline in the Shida Kartli region.

All of this is a part of UNDP’s ongoing efforts to facilitate public debate and assist the Georgian government in developing gender equality policies.